HRH THE PRINCESS ROYAL COMMENDS TRANSAID’S INCREASING SCOPE AS THE CHARITY LOOKS TO CELEBRATE ITS 15TH ANNIVERSARY
29 November 2012
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, patron of road transport and logistics industry charity Transaid, has commended the organisation for increasing the number and scope of its projects in Africa which has resulted in more people benefitting than ever before.
In a speech at Transaid’s annual showcase in Canary Wharf yesterday (28 November) guests heard how Transaid has grown its reach over the last year from 11 projects to 17, with its teams now working in nine countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
Transaid also used the occasion to highlight the achievements of its maternal health programmes, where it is helping to implement a series of locally sustainable transport solutions such as bicycle and motorcycle ambulances to help women in remote districts access medical services during childbirth. In Zambia, the government has been so impressed with the project it now provides free fuel for the motorcycle ambulances.
Addressing the 70-strong audience of transport industry executives, hosted by Barclays Corporate, The Princess Royal said: “There is real value in what Transaid does and the ability to grow the impact of the charity’s work is increasing all the time. Transaid has the expertise to make a real difference to many people’s lives in Africa and the continuing support of the industry is crucial to this cause.”
Transaid Chief Executive Gary Forster said: “We are a small but ambitious charity determined to make a significant difference in the developing world.
“We are very grateful to The Princess Royal for her continued patronage, and to all of our supporters – both individuals and organisations – who are committed to helping us achieve our goal of saving and improving thousands of lives in Africa.”
Forster reported that during 2012/13 Transaid’s revenue is forecasted to exceed £1 million for the first time in the charity’s history – with the increased funding being key to extending its reach yet further.
He added: “Next year marks our 15th anniversary and we plan to continue this development apace. As the charity moves forward we also hope to make our transport and logistics expertise available to other organisations working in Africa, so even more communities can benefit from the solutions we can implement.”
Transaid is planning a series of exciting fundraising events to mark its milestone anniversary, including a mix of hiking and cycling events to be held in the UK, Europe and Africa. Full details will be announced in January 2013 and to register your interest, contact Aggie Krasnolucka-Hickman at Transaid on +44 (0) 20 7387 8136 or aggie@transaid.org
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Note to Editor:
Transaid (www.transaid.org) is an international development agency that aims to improve people’s quality of life in the developing world by making transport more available and affordable. It was founded by Save The Children and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK) and works by sharing skills and knowledge with local people to enable them to put in place and manage efficient transport systems.
Transaid’s core work includes creating transport management systems for the public sector and assisting with the provision of professional driving qualification development and the training of driver trainers. It also assists with teaching preventive vehicle maintenance management and introducing local, low cost transport solutions including its innovative bicycle ambulance. Transaid also helps promote HIV, AIDS and road safety awareness and shares its specialist knowledge with the humanitarian aid sector.
Transaid enjoys strong backing from the transport and logistics industry and the active involvement of its patron, HRH The Princess Royal.
For further press information:
Aggie Krasnolucka-Hickman at Transaid +44 (0)20 7387 8136
Lucy Harveyor James Keeler at Garnett Keeler +44 (0)20 8647 4467
TRAN/204/12
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